Rifles
Impact Guns has been selling rifles since 1992 — bolt actions, semi-autos, lever guns, hunting rifles, and modern sporting rifles across every major platform and caliber. Whether you’re buying your first deer rifle, building out an AR-10 for long-range work, or looking for a hard-use semi-auto for home defense, our team has the experience to point you in the right direction.
Read our full Rifle Buying Guide ↓
Start With Your Use Case
The right rifle depends entirely on what you’re doing with it. A 6.5 Creedmoor bolt action built for 500-yard deer hunting is a completely different tool than an AR-15 for home defense or a .22 LR for introducing a new shooter to the range. Before picking a platform or caliber, get clear on your primary purpose — hunting, home defense, target shooting, competition, or general use — and let that drive the decision.
Action Types
Bolt action — The gold standard for accuracy and long-range hunting. Simple, reliable, and typically more accurate out of the box than semi-autos at equivalent price points. The manual cycling action slows your rate of fire, which is rarely a drawback for hunters. Ruger American, Savage Axis, and Tikka T3x are our most-stocked bolt action lines.
Semi-automatic — The AR-15 platform dominates this category for good reason: modular, accurate, with an enormous aftermarket and proven reliability. AR-10 variants stretch the platform into larger calibers for hunting and precision shooting. Semi-autos are also the top choice for home defense rifles due to higher capacity and faster follow-up shots.
Lever action — Classic American design that remains highly practical today. Fast for follow-up shots, available in pistol calibers (great for hunting at moderate ranges), and legal in states with restrictions on semi-autos. Henry and Marlin are the two brands we stock most heavily.
Single shot — Simple, accurate, and often affordable. A good choice for youth hunters or anyone who wants a no-frills rifle for occasional use. H&R and Thompson Center break-action singles are popular entry-level options.
Caliber Guide
.22 LR — The best training caliber ever made. Cheap to shoot, low recoil, and available in everything from bolt actions to semi-autos. Every shooter benefits from owning a .22. Ruger 10/22 is the most popular semi-auto .22 rifle in America and a perennial bestseller for us.
5.56 NATO / .223 Remington — The AR-15 caliber. Flat-shooting, affordable, and excellent for varmint hunting and home defense out to 300 yards. Not ideal for deer-sized game at distance due to limited energy, but extremely capable within its range.
6.5 Creedmoor — The single biggest shift in hunting and long-range rifle calibers in the past 20 years. Excellent ballistics, manageable recoil, widely available, and genuinely effective on deer-sized game to 600+ yards. If you’re buying a bolt action hunting rifle today, 6.5 Creedmoor deserves serious co